We’re Going Streaking! How Cal Males Have Put In combination a Impressive Run at NCAA Championships
Within the first of a chain that may center of attention on streaks within the game of swimming, Swimming International takes a have a look at the run through the Cal males on the NCAA Championships. Since 2010, the Golden Bears have both received or completed as runnerup on the greatest meet of the school season.
For the 1st 12 seasons {that a} workforce name was once awarded in NCAA Department I swimming and diving, the College of Michigan positioned first or moment. Because the conclusion of that streak in 1948, no different workforce was once ready to report that many consecutive top-two finishes, at the same time as Ohio State, Yale, Indiana, Stanford and Texas all had their very own stretches of dominance. USC got here the nearest, completing first or moment in 16 of 18 meets held between 1960 and 1977.
Cal head trainer Dave Durden — Photograph Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The workforce to in spite of everything surpass Michigan’s streak could be California, which has earned the first-place or second-place trophy at 14 consecutive NCAA Championships, and the quantity indisputably would were 15 if no longer for the cancellation of the 2020 nationwide meet on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Head trainer Dave Durden took over this system prematurely of the 2007-2008 season, and in yr 3, he had his workforce completing moment within the nation, simply 30.5 issues at the back of Texas. The following yr, Cal received the 1st of its six nationwide titles below Durden’s management.
The Golden Bears have sustained their dominance during the last decade-and-a-half through discovering good fortune throughout just about each tournament in the future or any other whilst generating one of the vital very best swimmers in america. Right through that inaugural runnerup season in 2010, Cal captured 3 person titles, all in 100-meter occasions: freshman Tom Shields in butterfly, Damir Dugonjic in breaststroke and Nathan Adrian in freestyle. Previous to that meet, Cal had no longer received a relay nationwide name in a decade, nevertheless it received all 4 dash relays on that instance. Cal has at all times gained key contributions from global swimmers, and the 2010 workforce set that development with Man Barnea, Martii Aljand and Martin Liivamagi all recording top-three finishes.
The following yr, the Bears would move directly to earn their first nationwide name because the Nineteen Seventies as Adrian concluded his sensational collegiate run whilst Shields, who started his school occupation very best identified for his skills within the 200 unfastened sooner than his freshman butterfly good fortune, added a marvel nationwide name within the 100 backstroke. Shields would end his occupation with six person NCAA wins. In 2012, Marcin Tarczynski (200 IM) and Will Hamilton (200 fly) turned into marvel nationwide winners as Cal repeated atop the nationwide standings.
Cal backstroke nice Ryan Murphy — Photograph Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Surely probably the most a success person swimmer all over this run has been Ryan Murphy, who received 4 consecutive nationwide titles in each backstroke occasions whilst additionally spearheading 3 medley relay nationwide wins all over his time in Berkeley. Murphy, after all, would turn out to be some of the international’s elite backstrokers for the simpler a part of a decade, however Cal’s standing as “backstroke U” advanced because of the run of Golden Endure swimmers who joined him in excelling each nationally and across the world.
In Murphy’s 3 Olympic appearances, his fellow U.S. consultant within the 200-meter again has been a Cal coaching spouse each and every time: Jacob Pebley in 2016, Bryce Mefford in 2021 and Keaton Jones in 2024. Daniel Carr additionally received Pac-12 titles in backstroke, and maximum just lately, Destin Lasco turned into a three-time nationwide champion within the 200 again, breaking Murphy’s American and NCAA information within the tournament in 2024. Lasco has additionally accompanied Murphy to global waters within the 200-meter again, doing so on the 2023 International Championships.
Right through Josh Prenot’s Cal occupation, he received Pac-12 titles within the 400 IM and one nationwide name, however his biggest good fortune got here within the 200-meter breaststroke, when he broke the American report in a win on the 2016 Olympic Trials sooner than taking Olympic silver in Rio. Andrew Seliskar wracked up second-place finishes on the nationwide stage sooner than a swimmer-of-the-meet efficiency in 2019, when he received titles within the 200 IM, 200 unfastened and 200 breast. Ryan Hoffer is the one swimmer since Adrian to win dash nationwide titles, taking 3 other occasions in 2021.
Right through Durden’s tenure as head trainer, Cal has captured nationwide titles in each swimming tournament excluding the five hundred and 1650 freestyle. The 400 IM was once the latest person tournament to get a Cal winner when Hugo Gonzalez swam the quickest time ever for the win in 2022 (in a race that will be the best person defeat for Leon Marchand on the collegiate stage). Cal may no longer stay tempo with Arizona State on the 2024 NCAA Championships, however the Golden Bears did win the 800 unfastened relay for best the 3rd time ever and primary since 1986, with Gabriel Jett, Lasco, Jack Alexy and Robin Hanson combining for the quickest time in historical past.
Cal fifth-year swimmer Destin Lasco — Photograph Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Cal’s 3 person titles closing season got here from Lasco within the 200 IM and 200 again plus Liam Bell within the 100 breast. Whilst Bell is long gone, the Bears have an enormous contingent of senior and fifth-year swimmers returning to check out to reclaim the nationwide crown from the Solar Devils. That crew is led through Lasco and Alexy, who led off the U.S. males’s gold-medal-winning 400 unfastened relay in Paris and has captured a couple of International Championship medals within the dash occasions. Dare Rose has additionally captured international stage medals in butterfly, and nationwide top-three finishers Jett and Bjorn Seeliger also are of their closing yr.
Moreover, this yr’s Cal workforce has an underclass roster together with Jones, who completed 5th in an Olympic ultimate previous to his sophomore season, and freshman breaststroker Yamato Okadome. Lucas Henveaux and Mewen Tomac joined the workforce at midseason to supply further scoring punch for the run at top-two end No. 15 and doubtlessly name No. 7. Cal has already made a remark through taking pictures an ACC name in its first yr within the convention.
Imagine the time that has handed all over Cal’s run. Assistant coaches Greg Meehan, Yuri Sugiyama, Chase Kreitler and Matt Bowe have all contributed to title-winning groups sooner than departing to turn out to be a success head coaches in other places. The days that Cal swimmers posted to complete 3rd within the country 15 years in the past would not earn invitation to the nationwide meet: Liivamagi 1:43.05 within the 200 IM, Aljand 52.32 within the 100 breaststroke, Barnea 46.23 within the 100 backstroke.
What has stayed the similar is Durden and the monitor report of unveiling as much as carry out on the NCAA Championships. Later this month, be expecting any other top-two end result, with a countrywide name smartly throughout the Bears’ seize.
